Tuesday saw me visit the Twisted Wheel to catch an early set before jumping on my Vespa and heading across the grid to the AAi; to catch Edens set. With Kim's computer still duffedEden is playing the full two hours, no mean feat to keep everything musically fresh. But, unsurprisingly she managed it beautifully with a wide range of beat and garage bands, pumping out a throaty stream of top tunes.

The regular gang of sixties chill outs were in attendance, the usual spiel was spun and everyone had enormous amounts of fun, is there a better way to spend a virtual evening than in front of the computer laughing with friends and chilling to some terrific music. I think not, the scene may be small in the scale of the global village but its dynamic passionate and above all bags of fun.

Eden looked resplendant in her Aoharu, parka ... yes it made her bum look big but its a virtual world just fiddle with that prim. So good in fact that I took mine off, Sean was strutting with his handbag and natty scarf, looks cool that scarf I should get one perhaps!! There were Fred Perrys aplenty and cool ska T-Shirts a full scale riot of modernist fashion. Awesome, lets hope a few more chilled designs come our way.

Unfortunately I had to leave with thirty minutes of the set left, hopefully I'll get rid of the pesky cold and be on full burn by next week.

Wednesday, 27 January 2010

Often I log into Second Life before the mod pulsing hour of nine o'clock and wonder how I can entertain myself until the big British mod/soul clubs kick off. Generally I aimlessly wander around the grid checking out pointless stores and clubs solidly plugged into my I-Tunes, although I will sometimes listen to a club stream to see if it passes muster ... it rarely does. So, imagine my delight to discover the Twisted Wheel has a schedule posting early sets by their DJs. This now means my virtual mod clubbing can begin as early as 12pm SLT. Therefore when I logged on this Wednesday I checked the Wheel's rota and discovered DJ Dragon Bogbat was streaming in a solid Northern Soul set from 12.30. Left me with a single option really, I had to get myself there.

Shockingly the club was empty on arrival, but as the tunes rolled out we gathered a few lost souls and the music soared on! Dragon played a solid set of Northern stompers delighting a small but happy crowd of punters who danced wildly and made full use of the Wheels dance floor. However, it was destined to be one of those slow virtual nights and the crowds failed to arrive. A shame really, and much as it pains me to admit it, eventually there was so few of us the club lacked atmosphere despite a terrific stream which deserved better, perhaps more group calls to taxi in the punters next time. I'll be there for more early feed sof Northern Soul and hopefully a few more will bus themselves over to the Twisted Wheel to soul out on some shudderingly good sounds. An after thought, hope nobody views this as a criticism, its more of a rallying clall I had fun listening to some great music just wish it had been more of a shared experience.

One of the grids cool essentials is a chilled pair of shades. Fortunately these are easily obtained, often for free as top designers use them as FREE gifts to reward loyal customers and lure new ones through their doors. However, mod shades have a specific sense of style, nothing too big, preferable black framed and lenses, definitely no aviators!

I rifled through my inventory to gather a large selection of shades to snap so that I could put them on this brief post, others I wanted to post but I have forgotten or lost them, but this small selection should give an idea of what is avaiable. Some I bought while others were group gifts or just freebies. Some have intricate scripts, others merely flip onto your head, while others do nothing but radiate cool. As ever, take your pick and go with it. Black Rayban Wayfarer style shades are my favourites with many of my shades resembling this iconic Real Life brand. But, I do occassionally step outside that box and wear something different, so long as they look cool I am happy. There are a variety of shades on display, but a few of the stores I visit are:

Tuesday, 26 January 2010

I first saw these Armidi trousers worn by Lupo Lexington, who also passed on information about the Unknown Boutique, and immediately thought they were cool. They come in a wide range of colours are sharply textured and come with excellent prim cuffs to give you that uber sixties tight cuff effect, no randam flare with these beauties. I have several pairs and would advise any budding mod fashionista to purchase at least one pair, sadly no fat pack so I pick them up randomly as I need them. They look great with a blazer or jacket, even withg a smary sweater or shirt, a definite must in my view for the virtual mod.

I saw these cool trainers/shoes on one of the many fashion blogs on the web and immediately saw they had a mod potential. The simplistic design of full colour and single white stripe trim is very retro. The cut of the the shoes and the texturing give them a bowling shoe feel which is architypal mod shoewear. Initially my plan was to nuy just one pait but I had such difficulties in choosing one, and the fatpack deal was so good, I eventually bought the lot. There are eight different colours [six are shown here, the orange is on the Valiant post, and I omitted the pink], and whilst not scripted for sizing they do come in a wide range of different sizes accomodating all avatars. A definite wardrobe essential I wear these with jeans or trousers, the black pair can even be worn with a heavy black suit to lift it and give it a sixties mod feel; the versatility of these shoes means I would advise you to get a pair if they are still available. Why blog unavailable stuff? Because I like them! If they are no longer available look out for something similar its rare that quality stuff completely fades away, its often an inspiration for designers to create similar items.

Another essential is a quality roll neck sweater, and the set I bought from Muism whilst expensive are hard to beat.

This roll neck has been designed as a multi-layered piece allowing it to be comfortably worn under jackets, sweaters or even shirts. Its wonderfully textured, as expected from Muism, and comes with a nice prim roll neck. Its subued colours means it can be easily matched with most other itens whether they are similary subdued ot more vibrant, an ecellant accessory to suits its mulkti-layering creation means it is also able to be worn as a stand alone sweater. Found througfhout this blogs snapshots, worn with blazers jackets or trousers, I would definitely place it in my list of virtual essentials. However, Muism comes at a cost and since I orignially bought this set there are now other designers producing excellent roll neck sweaters that look quite similar and it might be possible to grab one of those. Whether they are multi-layered and thus have the same versatilty of the Muism set, I do not know. Are they as well textured? Thats for you to judge, follow the old maxim ... you pays yer money and takes yer chance.

There are of course generic favourites, shades, a black suit, shirt and tie for example. Shades are best in black with a retro vibe and as I recently recieved a FREE pair from Cheerno, as a group gift, matching that criteria they are currently my favourites. Talking free I also grabbed a FREE black suit from Alphamale which has also lodged itself firmly in my wardrobe

Monday, 25 January 2010

I visited Valiant today, and agreed with myself to restrict my purchasing and set myself a very humble budget which allowed me to purchase a single item. Wandering the store, this became very difficult indeed as there were several choice items that possessed a modernist flair. First there were a couple of sweaters, then a jacket, then a cardigan, shorts...hey mods go to the beach too, and not always to brawl. I was stumbling back and forth regretting my budget setting, but determined to stick with it whilst also wishing I was an uber blogger who gets this stuff hurled at him to review. Eventually I decided to opt for the cool military style blazer that comes with several prim details to give it that mid sixties mod feel.

The blazer is similar to the miltary jackets that are on sale, which come in a range of colours, the blazer, however, comes in black with white trim nothing else. Its the addition of the miltary stripes that give the blazer its mod feel, similar to the military regalia sported by Townsend and Entwistle in the early mid sixties Who publicity shots. The prim cuffs also sport a white trim which matches that on the lapels, and make the jacket a loose casual item rather than a staid more formal style blazer; thus, it is ideal for wearing with jeans.

I matched it with a cool Lonsdale shirt, which is multi-layered and so hugely versatile; some cool faded jeans from Juice, that come with prim cuffs; and finally, some smart shoes/trainers from "J's", I bought the flatpack as they come in very useful for a variety of styles.

Check Valiant out, splash your lindens freely or be more circumspect there is plenty to keep the virtual mod happy.

Sunday, 24 January 2010

Another busy real life weekend meant I missed the happenings at the 5.15 Club [7am starts, walking for five hours followed by four hours in the pub equals falling asleep on the sofa, its a middle aged equation, sadly]. But enough of my sleeping habits I hope a good crowd turned up and had fun. Aesthetically the 5.15 is one of the best architecturasl club coinstruction on the grid and for that alone deserves to be a huge success. I saw a few messages on my e-mails and I'm certain Boone and Slate entertained you royally.

I have noticed there are more and more nights opening up for mods on the grid just hope schedules dont start to clash and the crowds thin out, the virtual mod scene is small and can only sustain a finite number of clubs, nights out ... would be a pity to have people double booking and so reducing peoples options on where they can go. Remember, its not a competitions people, its all about having a laugh and if you lose signt of that you might just lose the point of why you came inworld .

I am now listing my complaint, that git Sean used some strange hacking technology to pass his bloody man flu through the virtual streams and into to my head. So closetted in my cocoon of self pity I have become even more grumbly than usual. Bloody Scots ... dont trust them, err sorry gran.

Got some cool clothes over the last few weeks. Remember mod designers need a little linden lurve otherwise they fold. Check out the stores if you can.

Other good news Amazon recovered from its post Christmas torpor ans I finally got my cds through, so alongside snotty tissues I am surrounded by great music like this:

..its a cool scooter in the video too.

Back to virtuality, had another great night at Soul Mods on Friday although I left early I was there long enough to enjoy some outstanding Northern Soul choices from Baron and some great laughs too. Follow the red arrow girls .... I'd encourage anyone who has nothing to do on a Friday to log on and tp into the Soul Mods for a great Friday night. Then catch the late late show that Micio often provides at the Twisted Wheel.

Plenty out there for the virtual mod to do, so long as the schedules dont overlap too much we can have plenty of fun in our perfect pixelated world* of scooters, parkas and tunes. Or is that tubes, I do have a SEVERE cold y'know, oh how we men suffer, childbirth pah try having man flu missus.

* All it lacks is bacon butties.

EDIT

Blissfully unaware of this, but its come to my attention that several -if not all- of our wimmin readers are utterly unaware of the severity of man flu or its true debilating effects, let this youube Health Warning be your guide, I am now sinking back beneath the bed clothes achooo!

Friday, 22 January 2010

I was wondering to myself the other day if a virtual mod could dress in a sharp mod way for FREE! As this time of year seems to herald a hunt bonanza I figured I might be able to dress out a freebie mod by grabbing the odd prize and a few regualar freebies. It was actually suprisingly easy.

First up was some shoes and I noticed the Jeepers Creepers had a cool pair of bowling shoes in the SAH treasure hunt. These shoes were a must; so I tp'd in there scurried around the very centre of the store found the big boot and made my escape with some ultra cool new mod shoes. Strike one!

Next I needed some trousers, freebie trousers and jeans are littered across the grid but I wanted a name brand, something uber stylish. Male fashion on the grid doesnt get any cooler than Redgrave so hopping on a notecard lm I quicjkly gathered the free black pants redgrave @ le look, an awesome freebie from a top virtual designer. Strike two!

Finally I had a choice to make I could get one of a myriad of freebie T-Sirts that plague the grid, or I could track down a cool sweater or jacket; maybe a nice cool shirt. Or I could go totally mod and get a Parka and after all what screams mod louder than a fishtail parka. So I scurried over to Popscene and clicked the box. Strike three!

Sure I still need some sizzling shades and a neat hair cut, but I was definitely mod and it had cost me zilch, a mod bargain.

Another venue on the mod roster and hosting a night of ska Popscene is a cool looking place I hope it gets plenty of support so its organisers feel its worthwhile hosting the occassional ska, mod or soul night.

I think I should take a moment to comment on the demise of a friend to the mod circuit, briefly entering our virtual lives and bouncing along for a few days before slipping away into the inventory in the sky. Yes Graz's uber 'fro has slipped away; briefly resurrected at Soul Mods on Thursday but he just couldnt sustain that amount of hair growth. So, lets remember the 'fro fondly: how it took up all the room on the dance floor, how it attracted flies, how you could bounce on it..or how you could vanish into it...ah such happy times. But every 'fro has its day and this 'fro is over!

Talking Soul Mods, it was the final episode of the newly instigated triumvirate on Thursday with Sean taking the decks, and more frighteningly the mic. Okay initially I admit I thiought Donald Pleasance had been resurrected from the '71 film of Kidnapped, but slowly it seemed to dawn on us all that yep Sean is really Scottish. Amazing. Our southern party seem to struggled understanding him, nae bother for me I guess working in the shipyard with all those drunken Glaswegians paid off! Sean stuffed his music in his handbag which he carried with him all night, must have been tiring, whilst prowling around the floor looking for that opportunity to display his twinkling toes; but alas no opportunity was forthcoming ... amazingly, Sean's dancing has become legendary. Anyway, Sean vowed not to play any Small Faces and stuck to that rule although he skated by with some early Marriot and bands doing Small Faces covers. It was a very interesting set and Sean's mic work was..err unique. Great music induces a great time and using that barometer Sean's set was astounding because we had a fantastic time, laughing joking mocking ... all the things that make a great mod night out. I was in and out of chat but in long enough to learn that Eden really isnt 43..SHE'S OLDER! Hahaha, Of course she's not, but its a laugh. And that my virtual friends is what lies at the heart of the Soul Mods ethos, having a laugh..and we do, you can too just jump on that tp!

Thursday, 21 January 2010

I thought Iwould put up another questionnaire, this time its Davey MacIntyre owner of the wonderful 5.15 club, which in my humble opinion is one of the best looking clubs, no best looking builds, on the grid. Davey DJ at his club which hosts cool Saturday party nights combining several DJs playing some storming tracks. Check this club out next time its hosting, Davey also does damn cool flyers,,,so much talent out there in virtual mod land..it makes you sick hahaha.

Name:

Davey MacIntyre

Top Mod Clubs:

The 5:15 Club

Twisted Wheel

OSR HQ

My Top Five Tracks Would Be: (If we are just talking about Mod Tunes?) I choose

Heatwave - Martha and The Vandellas

Gimme Some Lovin' - Spencer Davis Group

Here comes the nice - Small Faces

Toots and The Maytals 54-46 Was My Number

Picture Book - The Kinks

My Top Three Stores Are:

Unknown

Arai

Argrace

What is great about being a Virtual Mod:

Good banter/chat and the chance to discover even more brilliant music

What would make Virtual Mod life better

More clothing shops for men.

Best Mod Band:

My favourite mod band was or is..... Not really Mod, but it has to be The Beatles

Now those essential Smash Hitsian type questions, giving an insight into the inner pschye

Wednesday, 20 January 2010

Arrived at the AAi to find Eden on her own Kim had a blow out and so couldnt make it in, and surprisingly the room was empty, its generally busting as I arrive. Despite the slow start it didnt take long for the people to gently start tping in and Eden to get the tunes humming and the club buzzing.

We were soon viciously savaging poor Graz's out of countrol 'fro and Josie lost herself in their more than once, while the rest of us danced around it like some hairspray maypole- the weirdness of virtual life. As Kim's computer had crumbled Eden had to do the full two hours and played some great tunes that kept the crowd more than happy. Interestingly I read Shauna's piece on hiring a good club DJ, over on Moonletters, it reminded me why Eden and Kim are such a success at the clubs they play ... they meet Shauna's criteria, and the regulars appreciate their efforts. Cool music for cool customers and no drama, a blissful virtual night on the town.

Sadly technology is not quite so cool, and the stream crashed taking Eden with it, if their was a bright side to this it was close to the end and we had already had over ninety minutes of top tunes. Sean plugged the gap with a track before sloping off to bed before Graz's took the helm and bumped a few mod tunes while we waited to see what would happen. Eden made it back, but the night was over .. another cracker, much appreciated and despite its early finish still beats snoring in front of the TV.

Because of the unexpected ending at the AAi I opted to again head over to the Twisted Wheel to catch the Janice Short set, a more generic sixties set than some other mod DJs it nevertheless plugged the gap in my musical entertainment while I got on with some real life stuff. A decent crowd were in the club and the floor was busy with dancing divas enjoying some classic sixties pop and terrific soul. Quick click and Albion was stepping out with the rest of them.

Janice plays a sharp set of tunes, her set keeps you rolling on and humming whilst tapping your feet. Full of great sixties tunes [I even forgive the inclusion of Marc Bolans seventies hit, afterall he was a London face at one time, yep Marc the mod]. And, she too matches her tunes to her crowd who appreciate her blend of sixties beat bands and soul. I saw Dragon who plays a mean Northern Soul set dancing in one corner and the uber cool Lupo arrived after the midnight hour, Micio was also there as she was due to take over from Janice once her set was over. It was getting very late for a UK virtual lifer but I danced on.

At 1.00am GMT Janice finished her set and Micio took over, I would have loved to have stayed longer as Micio plays a marvelously eclectic set but it was already way past the pumpkin hour and I had to get some sleep. The wonders of the global village mean unfortunately we cannot be there for everything,,my loss, Dance on you groovers.

Another great night to add to the schedule of mod virtual nights out is the arrival of Baron Ansolme playing a regular slot of Soul Mods on a Friday night. Timings vary as although he kicks starts the night off at 1pm SLT he plays until we gradually fade away, or as is often been the case are dragged away kicking and screaming for more!

An eclectic group gathered to hear Baron's set this time round, some old faces and some new, I think everyone had a blast as Northern Soul streamed out, with a Small Faces break for Aston and Dugi...well they are the bosses; and responcible for creating a forum for all this musical magic. On sparkling form the Baron fired stormer after stormer in our direction, and I'd bet a degree of foot shuffle occured in tandem with our dancing avatars.

The creation of a Northern Soul night was a piece of inspiration, as there is far too little of it across the grid; with the rise of sixties mod in a variety of clubs [who often include the odd Northern track] a dedicated set is something to be treasured, and Baron now opens and closes my week with his sets at the Acroplyse and now Soul Mods and long may it continue.

Saturday night saw me at the Twisted Wheel, seen but not heard as real life got a grip and I had to listen in rather than be a part of it...hmm wasnt that Jimmy Savillle. Ah well, real life has a prior claim on almost all of us. Exhausting weekend washed me out and to be honest I dont think I even logged into Second Life on Monday...shock horror.

A quiet few virtual days, its not always full throttle in my virtual life and sometimes its forced to take a back seat, having fun aint always pixelated.

Monday, 18 January 2010

It is most definitely January sales times and I dashed over to Aoharu specifically to grab their mod parka. Its not as thematically mod as some others that are available but Aoharu is one of the best sculptie designer stores on the grid so its well worth grabbing while its half price. The parka comes in several colours but I opted for the classic green Its a beautifully crafted item with prim sleeves, a prim fishtail hem and the fluffy prim hood.

While your there why not check out some of the other items, get in quick while the sales last.

Saturday, 16 January 2010

There are some fine items on sale at Dym some classic casuals wear that has becoming even more appealing because they have knocked 50% off the sale price. Yes the January sales boom is in full virtual flow, get there and grab some cool stuff while the sale lasts.

I grabbed a couple of cool sweater and a nice duffle coat, but there is far more available, why not check it out.

Friday, 15 January 2010

Am I about to shatter a mod taboo, by perhaps devaluing an iconic mod symbol? Scooters, yes the Vespa the Lambretta as mod as a parka and a three buttoned suit; but only by default. Mods chose scooters as a practical solution to there travel issues; quite simply they couldnt afford a flash motor and motor bikes were far too oily to risk your brand new suit and so the mod scooter was born. However, in the virtual world mods can afford a nice flash motor, so it might be time to park that retro classic next your vintage scooter.

One of the leading creators of cool retro cars on the grid is Sandi Omlet, and her range of Omlet motors marry fantastic looks with great performance. Her cars scriptings are tested by some of the finest drivers on the grid at a variety of tracks. These cars will not send you spiralling off into the sky at 700 miles per hour, they are scripted to have a more realistic performance and stick into the corners like glue. During my virtual car obsession [resulting in an inventory folder in excess of a hundred vehicles, no worries I'm in virtual rehab now] I bought most of these cars and many others besides and can say they never let me down on the track and besides that they look beautiful, especially next to the twentieth ferrari, lambo build on the grid that day. If the original mods had enough cash they'd be buying flash motors, sorry to break your heart, but the scooter whilst symbolic of modernism was often viewed merely as a tool, a treasured too nonetheless but if they could have upgraded to an Austin Healey believe me they would.

Take a look at the cars across the grid, not only are they beautifully crafted creations but they can also be a lot of fun, crash all day long no cuts and bruises and no massive garage fees. its a racers paradise.

Found myself at the Twisted Wheel early Monday, and heard a nice set before Real Life kicked in and I was dragged off, left Albion dancing so I could at least hear some tunes and when I returned it was to a silent and empty club,,,awww. Anyway lucky for me I had an IM that reminded me that Baron was playing at the Acropolyse so just on a vespa tp and charged off, only to discover it was a Northern soul pyjama party, never been to one of them before. Anyway, after a touch of prodding I rifled through my freebie folder and grabbed some slippers and PJs I picked up somewhere [ASS I think] and knocked me sideways and call me Gertrude I bleedin' won! So I now have a hefty vouch to splash on some stuff. Ah Monday, Monday..........

Another day and early evening I again found myself dancing at the Twisted Wheel, but once more I had been dragged away and so my presence was more spiritual than factual. I was actually falling asleep on the sofa while Albion danced at the Wheel, so I again missed most of Ptolomey Cortes set; but what I did hear did not disappoint. And, as as its a Ruby Tuesday that means a trip to the AAi club to hear some more sharp mod tunes from Eden and Kim. Yet again the girls delivered a couple of very strong sets, leaving all in attendance more than pleased by their virtual night out. The conversation flowed the jokes got wilder and Graz's [aka Wiston Groovy aka Bisto Gravy] hair underwent a strange metamorphis, until it was difficult to know who was in charge: Graz or the afro! Nevertheless hair issue outstanding it was another fabulous night at the AAi, and all there had fun, and afterall thats what its all about. Having a few e-mail issues to sort out I headed back to The Twisted Wheel to catch the last hour or so of Janice Short's mod set, which was highly entertaining, I had to depart just before the end though as it was way past the pumpkin hour; but there was a good crowd and looked like everyone enjoyed themselves. More mod on the grid, getting groovy.

Wednesday, was a crashomatic day. Started ok I landed at the Ruins at began to groove to DJ Divine, then wallop I was out and wasnt getting back in....

For me on a Thursday there is only one place to be and thats at Soul Mods, Kim was playing a full two hour set full of ska, soul and beats and it was a triumph! I loved it, soared away on terrific tunes and laughing at the jokes it was a wonderful night. Poor Eden copped for some rather cruel jokes but I'm sure she is plotting her fuiendish revenge and Graz's hair well it seemed to grow into the heart and soul of the party.

Meanwhile grumbling Sean despaired at being outed, yes no longer in the closet he was exposed as an occassional dancer and I now believe he has enrolled at the 'Burgh school of virtual ballet. Meanwhile the music played on and we had a riot. Most of the gang were present and all joined in the laughing and joking as we finely illustrated what virtual clubbing is all about: great music cocoonedin a warming glow of funny chat and laughter: the things that mod clubs excel at whether it be the OSRHQ, Soul Mods 5.15 et al one thing you're assured of is a damn fine time!

Wednesday, 13 January 2010

As I tp at random across the grid in search of items i think could have the inkling of a modernist look to them I struggle to find some truly classic retro male fashion. Yes there are glimpses of brilliance with some outstanding items available but their brilliance is so prominent because of their rarity, there are still far to few class sixties style male items on the grid. Suits rule the roost, but I feel that perhaps one day we geezers will get our own little Mod factory bringing great male designs to our door.

One ray of encouragement is the ease with which the casuals fashion so easily weaves its way into the contemporary male fashion trend on the grid. Cool trainers, smart jeans and a handsome sweater or track jacket and your in the groove. There are also more casuals male designers out there than retro male designers which gives us blokes half a chance. Let the girls revel in Mary Quant, us guys will grab adidas and make do.

Luckily there are some designers hoping to break into the mod market, Martin Glom has developed some fantastic old school adidas tops that yell casuals at you from the rooftops, he is looking in to creating more mod designs so a bit of support his way would be welcome, he produces womens stuff too but many items are unisex so the possibilities for casuals girls are there too. I really like his stuff, and appreciate that he is making an effort to provide another fashion outlet for guys into the virtual mod, casuals NeoMod fashion scene. Worn with a polo shirt and jeans these tops are awesome NeoMod items that are ideally suited to the casuals style.

Because casualswear is, well simply, casual it is easily found across the grid. Quality sweaters of a certain style, along with cardigans and vest paired with the correct shirts trousers and shoes combined to create classic casuals looks are quite easy to find, and another great selection can be located at FIR, a great male fashion house.

FIR* are designing some fantastic casuals mod items, not specifically targetting this fashion group nevertheless the designers offerings beautiful synchronise into the modernist styles currently worm on the grid. Take, for example, the beautiful navy sweater and grey cardigan, matched with a simple single colour button polo shirt they are classic casuals or mod clothes and can easily be worn with either jeans, to affect the casuals look, or as in this case trousers tio create a more retro mod style. The FIR range of clothing is a great addition to the casuals fashion scene and I'd suggest you head over to the Menswear Fashion Week 2010 and take a good look in this store and the other exhibition stores. There's still a few days lift of this male fashion extravaganza.

Sadly its the retro style that is the more difficult to locate. Male retro fashion seems to reach the fifties and then grind to a halt maybe the view is that the sixties consisted of little more than dark Beatles suits followed by a hippy shake. And perhaps for some that is all we need, a simplistic black suit, I guess I just want a tad more.Classic popart designs and iconic emblem design seems scarce unless its attached to some rock motif or is a dedicated girls fashion item. and yet these are iconic late mod male fashion items. And as for two tone tonic suits, you're going nowhere in that direction. So, whilst male fashion as a whole appears to be flourishing the retro sixties male stylings seem to be making as little progress as ever.

* FIR store by Rob1977 Moonites, the organiser behind the fashion week, any geezers interested in virtual fashion would do well to check it.

persist that there was a rather unsightly incident a week or so ago that traumatised all those who viewed it. Yes, I am afraid I must shatter some illussions here .. because, Sean, yes prowling Scotney Sean does do a virtual dance. However, that is of course a loose interpretation of dance, I'm not quite sure if a bandy legged wobble can be be construed as dancing but nevertheless Sean strayed from his natural habitat on the fringe of the floor and got down and groovy one early morning at the Good Mixer. Does this mean Sean is now an official dancer, somehow I doubt it. I think it was probably a slip due to him suffering from man flu, and to be honest after witnessing it...I hope it was a unique experience.

Just remember......weebles wobble but they dont fall down, hope I have put your minds at ease.

Tuesday, 12 January 2010

Next up in this infrequent delve into the likes of those virtual mods that make the grid all that it is is the wonderful Micio Braveheart. Micio DJ's at her own club The Good Mixer, which I encourage you all to visit it looks great and Micio will dazzle you with some outstanding and quite probably unfamiliar tracks. But, she can also be found playing the occassional spot at the Twisted Wheel and a couple of other soul clubs on the grid. A champion of the mod scene despite her home time zone being so out of sync with the majority of virtual mods, Micio is a fine example of just how dedeicated some virtual mods are. She would like to belong and visit more mod clubs on the grid but sadly the timings often clash, a real pity.

Despite its solid British core the virtual mod scene does have an international flavour and Micio is at the head of the queue in showcasing a more globalised interpretation of mod which is both refreshing and informative. So next time you get a card leap on that tp and open up your ears to some astounding mod interpretations.

Name:

Micio Bambina Braveheart.

Top Mod Clubs:

The Twisted Wheel

Fabulous Soul Club

The Good Mixer

My Top Five Tracks Would Be:

Ken Boothe & Stranger Cole : Arte Bella

The The : Slow Emotion Reply

16 Horsepower : Haw

007 : Gimme Some Lovin'

Blur : Clover over Dover

My Top Three Stores Are:

+mudshake

JAPAN SOUL NONKO ROMANKAN

Sn@tch

What is great about being a Virtual Mod:

Sex, Drug and R&B

What would make Virtual Mod life better

If some mod club play night time in Japan it must makes feel happy for me.,,,, most of all them play in the night time in UK,,,I can not wake up thease time,,,,too early morning in Tokyo T_T

Best Mod Band:

My favourite mod band was or is:.The Kinks

Now those essential Smash Hitsian type questions, giving an insight into the inner pschye

Sunday, 10 January 2010

This week is Menswear Fashion week a huge virtual male fashion celebration designed to highlight quality male fashion across the grid. Its well worth investigating, as there are some choice items on sale, many with a definite mod vibe. There is more on the fashion spectacular on the Moonletters blog. Grab a quick look at it and then go spread some linden love. The organisers are looking to maximise exposure for this event to highlight the great items available in the mens fashion stores across the grid, hence my double blogging. I urge you to check it out, and yep girls there's unisex stuff too.

Yes Dugi finally got his man and the Soul Mods hosted top Northern Soulie Baron Ansome to play a Northern Soul set at the club; it was a low key event not really hyped until Friday and yet a good crowd still tp'd in for a fantastic night, one of the best we've had, thats no mean achievement as we have had many, many blinding nights there.

So donning my best seventies flares and uber tight vest I headed over to the club, to be bamboozled while Eden, Dugi and Baron talked streams [?*#@!!] and land [*^+@!!!}] all something to do with playing music I think but way too complex for me. Baron was scheduled for two hours, but we left the pumpkin hour way behind and I think it was closer to four than two, but four blissful hours that left me groovin'. singing and mellowing out [yes it is feasible to mellow out to soul] inbetween bouts of raucously funny chat which had me laughing my socks off.

Were there stand out tunes, you bet there were. Were there blindin' moments, damn right there was. Northern classics interspersed with some of Barons Northern favourites kept the dance floor busy, we discussed wieghty topics such as ,,fish and chips, agreeing the Fylde Coast was best,,,I am sure we reached that conclusion didnt we? Squirrel cooked kentucky style was another and the third world debt crisis, okay I lied we never discussed third world debt, we wondered if the Barons plummer would turn up instead, but that was pretty wieghty stuff too. Why do we talk such rubbish, because caught up in the music anything anfd everything has a funny vibe to it, so full of fun you'll laugh out loud at anything and everything, a quintesentially Britsh thing to do. How do you overcome obstacles, laugh and mock them until they crumble, Who defeated the Berlin wall Margaret Thatcher's tories and their political ilk across the globe or Benny Hills angels and other intercontinental jokers who inspired folk to just say feck it enough is enough,,place your bets now! Whats any of this to do with a virtual Northern Soul night, absolutely bollox but see how easy it is to spiral off on a ludicrous conversation of your own creation. Thats what soul nights at the Soul Mods is about, real people having real fun in a virtual environment, Dugi's got it down pat, man and we love it there and elsewhere too, the club is irrelevant so long as the people are buzzing; thats the crucial feauture getting the right people. The virtual mod scene is lucky its brimming with crucial people, giving their best to entertain us all: by building cool clubs, playing awesome music or just sharing time with us all and having fun, its a virtual commune with music at the heart of it!. Its these invaluable real people behind the pixels that make the nights what they are, its crucial to get the right ones involved in the scene, no drama queens need apply And on mod or soul nights they always are, its blindin' mate get on yer scooter and be there for the next one!

Thursday, 7 January 2010

Not sure if it was because we'd had a Yuletide break but Soul Mods was on fire both musically and chat tonight. Jokes and mockery galore I was laughing so hard it hurt...almost. The new format was in place with Eden playing the full two hour set, well I think she did, more on that score later.

There were some fantastic tunes and an appreciative little crowd lapped them up, it was a class act and I was having a ball, brilliant beat bands interspersed with large dollops of soul, no mean feat to keep us buzzing but Eden did it majestically,,,ooh I think I'm being too nice, must be something to do with the number forty three, oops! A good crowd were in attendance and all was going well until my router fecked up and boing I was out of there, and I'm bolloxed because it wouldnt reconnect so I slopped up to bed, hope the geezers had fun. Also as it was my own hardware I cannot even have a rant at Linden Labs, nope not even an average one. So, a blasting night cut short by a technical failure but I enjoyed it while I was there.

However, all is not lost as rumours persist of a Northern happening at Soul Mods tonight [Friday] with another special DJ spinning us back to bliss, its 1-3SLT, normal Soul Mods times. you better be there or you'll miss out.

Okay, time to 'fess up I am mildly addicted to the Meriken fashion house, its style is much more midsixties than the early stylistically mod period up to circa '65; but at least it has a retro feel and thats very rare amongst male fashion on the grid unless its some hippy dippy party piece. Therefore, its no shocks thats I view the Meriken stock with a feverish brow, holding back a lindens implosion as I perform a quick smash and grab . So I was thrilled to discover Meriken was involved in a winter sale promotion with several itwems knocked down to a very tasty fifty lindens. Hey man I'm on that bus to splash some lindens, looking virtually cool and all for the price of a lunchtime session down The Eagle,, cant be bad.

First up were some uber cool jackets for fifty lindens a piece, the rather plain navy and black are quintisentionally mod, three button boxed style they have a neat beat boys appeal to them. Whereas the gold and silver python styled jackets are much more '68 than '64 but in the virtual mod world I feel they are still worthy of a place in the modernist fashion canon.

Four jackets for the regular priceof one I'll have some of that, totally mod-tastic.

Next I set my beady eyes on the racks of trousers and again I opted to go safe with one set and tad daring with another. The first set are a simple chino style selection, great with jackets, sweaters or shirts ideally mod, and whilst lacking the current trend for prim cuffs they are still a neat set, alsio at fifty each. I grabbed these three with glee and then decided to make a splash. The second set of three are definitely more from the mod crossover into psychadelic period. Its big bollox time if you want to stride out in these, but I thought they looked cool and definitely caught the eye. Matched with a very plain black sweater from Artilleri the trousers look mastyerfully retro and whilst definitely a long way from strictly mod they do have that sixties vibe strung across them so I slung my bollox on and bought them, real world not a feckin' chance but this is virtual mod so why not. These too lack the prim cuffs of the current trend but are beautifully textured and cut to a sixties style that will always attract attention, and lets be honest being a mod centres on being the face at the heart of all the attention. Otherwise Sting's character would have been in a beige suit!

So, laden with a serious selection of trousers I opted for one more plunge into the pool of Meriken sales and grabbed a couple of shirts. Full of the fragrance of midsixties psychadelic mod I grabbed a pair of spotted shirts that I figured would look cool matched with the sombre navy and black jackets, bang jobs a good un.

So leap onto your scooter and grab a few of these items while they are still at a tidy fifty lindens each, or grabbed one of the sets for a couple of hundred. Neomodernism on a plate, chill.

Wednesday, 6 January 2010

Tuesday, 5 January 2010

With the madness of the Yuletide season over, and your inventory bulging with a plethora of santa hats, antlers and christmas crackers its good to slide back into the virtual normailty of life on the grid. For me and those chilling from snow exposure like me that means a scooter tothe AAi and Kim and Eden's first set of 2010. As we slowly tp'd into the club the stream started and off we charged into another night of mod, silly conversation and laughs. Ahhh I'm virtually home again.

Kim opened with a glorious set full of tip top rankin ska. And some delightfully mellow sweet soul from the likes of David Ruffin and Bettye Swann. The tunes soared out of the stream, a quintensial mod set, full of drive, verve and chilled enough to put in a vodka and bugger the ice. Once again mixing my metaphors Kim was on fire and her set raised the spirits of all who were there, Sean even needed a tissue for his pole,,obviously a Scottish caber tossing theme ,except with a pole instead of a caber..who the feck knows. With Kim setting such high standards its lucky that Eden has honed her mod set sharp enough to slice through the winter dreariness and take us on further into mod music bliss. Firing off a salvo of stomping beat tunes Eden struck out with her usual ecletic mix of mod with, for my tuppence worth, Oscar Perry: Face Reality the stand out track of a blinding set. Ahh its good to be back to normal...virtually. Still cant snap those damn dancers boy do they move fast!

Hey and did you hear Eden and kim have a new shop, thats correct a new one...a bit like the old one only its new. I wonder if we'll get an exclusive on the opening of this new shop, afterall its not their old one its an entirely new one, thats quite ,,,well, new!

Sunday, 3 January 2010

Shauna is one of the coolest dressers on the mod scene, she's even cooler than me, blimey I know what your thinking..."How can that be?" but its true. As well as being a sixties fashion guru Shauna edits the long running and very fine Moonletters blog which is well worth checking out and linked to your right. There are some fine writers on the blog who offer cool tips, interesting thoughts and information on whats happening in the virtual world. Oh, I contribute some drivel too.

But, blogging isnt her only string on a many strung boiw, hmm does that make sense. There is also the Moonletters HQ which is stuffed with interesting things to do so why not pay it a visit. Shauna is a champion of the virtual sixties scene and I heard Slate cite her as one of the inspirations for the iconic Northern England sim which incorporated the virtual legend that is the Twisted Wheel. I cannot think of any higher praise than that. And besides she is a wonderful person and very helpful, I know Ive said that on all three of these pieces but its true. The virtual mod scene is exceptional friendly, small and tight knit but exceptionally friendly eager to welcome and assist newcomers to the great thing that is mod music and the virtual scene.

Name:

Shauna Vella

Top Mod Clubs:

5:15

AAI

Soul Mods

My Top Five Tracks Would Be:

Impossible to choose favorite tracks, but as far as mod groups I tend to favor the more rocking ones like The Who, The Kinks, The Small Faces, etc.

My Top Three Stores Are:

Barerose

LicoLico Mall (it's filled with stores, such as Canal Grande)

Umi Usagi.

What is great about being a Virtual Mod:

Mod music and fashion appeals to me. I don't like places that have Nickelback on the radio, thong wearing escorts, multi-colored flashing lights with loud walls and floors. Mods know how to have a good time while managing to listen to the best music, and look way cooler than any other subculture in Second Life. There tends to be dramas and fights among mods though, and I can't keep track of who is mad at who. But there's still a feel of belonging when you're a mod among other mods.

What would make Virtual Mod life better

It would be cool if good mod locations would stick around. Just when I start to feel at home in one it's often gone. Mods need a secure party hangout.

Best Mod Band:

My favourite mod band was or is:.The Who

Now those essential Smash Hitsian type questions, giving an insight into the inner pschye

Its taken some considerable searching but I finally found another uber cool NeoMod casuals store on the grid MSDClothing has a large stock of real life fashion labels, classic casuals clothing with some neat little twists. Designer Martin Glom is slowly building a fine collection of fashion for the geezer on the grid [there are clothes for geezerettes too]. Its a great collection and a boon to blokes looking to increase their NeoMod wardrobe.

Amongst the casuals classics is this classic Adidas track top, beautifully crafted and well textured. It comes in several colours but my preference is for the sharp white with black trim design. Its possible to view the track jacket in chavistic terms but wearing a retro style, with simplistic trim and labelling rather than the more contemporay fashion label extravaganza that afflicts sportswear fashions of the more chavistic nature. For any NeoMod looking to invest a casuals look could do far worse than to head to the store and buy an item or two from this sportswear range.

Alongside some brilliant pieces of sportswear classics for both men and women are some magnificent Lyle & Scott sweaters and polo shirts. Alongside the Lyle & Scott items are some brilliant Lacoste sweaters that carry the label with Union flag emblems added to intendify the mod feel of the clothes.

The use of the flag motif may seem overtly modernistic, but as I have expressed before I am of the opinion that virtual fashion can explore the extremes of genre that real life often tries to subdue. In a Neo Mod sense this store fits beautifully into the virtual mod scene and can supply a host of fledging virtual mods with a stream of eighties inspired casuals sweaters, shirts and sportswear for a very reasonable oprice, most items selling for 100 lindens which seems good value when contrasted with other fashion labels selling etems for several hundred lindens.

One final item that caught my eye is an awesome T-Shirt with a magnificent graphic, one of my favourite mod graphics is the Lambretta Union colours splash graphic. I have often used this image as a background for some of my infantile attempts at virtual photography and I eagerly snapped this item up and shall be parading it around the growing number of mod clubs across the grid.

I cannot recommend this store highly enough, its definitely worth investing a few lindens in the clothing on sale. There are some marvelous items, just head into the store and select your favourites, Martin promises some new releases and is looking for some ideas, if we want more male mod, casual, NeoMod designs to be made available then we need to splash the lindens in the store of designers who are willing to support the scene. I hope the MSD design feel its a worthwhile investment of their time to supply some modernistic fashions for the virtual mods prowling the grid, therefore I urge you to check out the store and buy something.

Second Life Modernist

Its a Mod's Second Life

Well after a stumbling debut on the Free Finds for Men Blog I thought I might try a touch of inane second life warbling here on a blog of my own creation. No mean feat considering my feeble technical skills and inate luddite tendencies. What should you expect, a raft of typos grammarical errors [did you spot that one] and a considerable pile of fashion waffle; modernist diatribes, and musical polemics.

Do not expect to much if you discover this piece of self indulgence I lack both talent and imagination so it will limp along while it holds my enthusiam but will undoubted slip into the mire that most blogs are by nature condemned to inhabit.

Why mods, because its my youth, neomods of the nineteen eighties a chance to be reborn in Second Life, relive desperate moments at the Casino [pre-mod revivalism]; remember moonstomping ska filled school discos and rejoice in a Jam filled bedroom of classic sixties cuts and energetic young mod bands. Can you relive such a youth? Well the scooters are there, a few clubs too. The clothes can be rooted out and if you're clever [which I am not, hey its not self deprecation just blind honesty,,technical computer stuff confuses me] you can produce your own.